Gamecocks To Wrap Up Non-Conference Season This Weekend
#19 Women’s Soccer vs Wake Forest/Coastal Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 19 South Carolina takes on Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina to wrap up the 2018 non-conference season. The Gamecocks take on Wake Forest on Sept. 6, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at Stone Stadium followed by Coastal Carolina on Sept. 9, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT – PURDUE
After the Gamecocks were forced to suspend play at William & Mary, South Carolina returned home and moved to 4-0 at Stone Stadium with a 2-1 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers. Freshman Jyllissa Harris and sophomore Elexa Bahr each scored in the victory, with both goals coming in the second half of play.
For Harris, it was her first career collegiate goal. Bahr’s goal was her first of the season, with Harris adding the assist on the corner kick.
The Gamecocks generated a season-high 17 shots in the match, with eight of them on goal. Captain Grace Fisk returned to action after her stint with England’s U20 team at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup. She put two shots on frame in 72 minutes of action.
“Grace brings a lot of composure to the team,” head coach Shelley Smith said after the win. “She’s a captain for a reason. She is not just a tremendous player, but she organizes and keeps everyone calm. I also was really impressed with all the time Tatumn Milazzo has played in place of Grace this season. She has been so important for us this season. She slid right back outside with Grace back; we’re just really proud of her play.”
Thus far in 2018, all seven goals have come from underclassmen. Six different Gamecocks have scored those seven goals, with Lauren Chang the only one with multiple goals this season.
SCOUTING WAKE FOREST
Wake Forest is coming off its biggest win of the 2018 season after defeating then-No. 5 Penn State in Winston-Salem on Sunday afternoon.
The Demon Deacons earned the victory with goalkeeper Nonie Frishette making a career-high 12 saves in goal. The 12 saves were the most in a single game in at least 20 years and just six off the program record of 18.
Along with its victory on Sunday, Wake Forest has wins over Michigan, College of Charleston and a tie against No. 9 Tennessee.
This season, Wake Forest is led offensively by Estelle Laurier and Bayley Feist, who each have two goals. Laurier has been in the mix on a few additional goals with a team-high three assists this season for a team-high seven points.
SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA
Thus far in 2018 the Chanticleers have collected a record of 1-2-1, with a 2-0 loss to William & Mary in its latest outing. The Chanticleers’only victory came against Davidson in the season opener on August 17.
Hannah Miller, Mackenzie Gibbs and Baylee Price are the three Chanticleers to find the back of the net in 2018 for Coastal Carolina. Interestingly enough, just one of the three goals scored this season has been assisted.
In goal, Coastal Carolina has started Rylee Atteberry in all four games. She has 15 saves and allowed four goals.
The Chanticleers were selected fifth in the preseason poll in the Sun Belt conference, just one point behind Little Rock for fourth place. Last season, Coastal Carolina finished 10-8-1 overalland with a 4-5-1 conference record, almost reaching the NCAA Tournament after finishing as the runner-up in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
BAHR NONE
After being held out of the first few matches of the season due to injury, Elexa Bahr has brought back theelectric play for which she was known in 2017. The sophomore scored her first goal of the 2018 season against Purdue, which eventually turned into the game-winning goal for the Gamecocks. The junior scored eight goals in 2017, and now has 10 career goals since arriving in Columbia in 2016.
GAMECOCKS IN THE POLLS
On Tuesday afternoon, the weekly United Soccer Coaches poll was released with the Gamecocks dropping to No. 19 after defeating Purdue 2-1 on Sunday and having the match against William & Mary cancelled due to weather. In the Soccer America poll, the Gamecocks jumped to No. 10,and in the Top Drawer Soccer poll, Carolina moved up to No. 8.
NON-CONFERENCE CRUISING
After defeating Purdue, South Carolina has extended its non-conference home winning streak to 17 matches dating back to 2014. During that time, the Gamecocks have outscored opponents 43-7 and have not allowed more than one goal in amatch at Stone Stadium since 2015 (3-2 win over Coastal Carolina).
A QUICK DETOUR
Freshman Selma Sol Magnusdottir was named as one of the 23 players for the Iceland women’s soccer national team. Iceland took on Germany and the Czech Republic as part of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification, finishing with a 0-1-1 record and Magnusdottir starting both games for her home country.
The Iceland native will return to the Gamecocks after missing two matches. South Carolina finished with a 1-1-0 record during her absence. This season, Magnusdottir has been a vital part in the Gamecocks’ attack. She started the first three games of the season, scoring one goal and adding an assist.
NOT YET AT FULL STRENGTH
Through five matches, South Carolina has fielded four different starting lineups. The Gamecocks, who have a total of 26 underclassmen on the roster, have not had the luxury of having their entire team healthy or in Columbia at the same time this season.
Captain Grace Fisk did not make her first appearance of the season until the Purdue match. Starter Selma Sol Magnusdottir has missed a pair of matches so fardue to her stint with the Iceland women’s national team. Finally, a handful of Gamecocks have been working back from injury, such as 2017 starters Ryan Gareis and Elexa Bahr.
RECORD BOOK WATCH
Junior goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski entered the 2018 season with some career records on her radar. She currently holds the lowest goals against average in South Carolina history with a 0.47 average.
She is third in South Carolina history with 27 shutouts, just four away from the record-holder Mollie Patton who played from 2006 to 2010. Krzeczowski is also approaching the top five for saves in a career, currently at 117, good enough for seventh all-time. She also has started 48 games in her career, which is the fourth most in program history.
UP NEXT
The Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina matches mark the end of the non-conference season for South Carolina. The Tennessee match on Sun., Sept. 16, will be the only match the Gamecocks play during the fifth week of the season. Tennessee is currently ranked No. 9 in the country in the United Soccer Coaches poll, its highest ranking since 2007. Tennessee is just one of four unbeaten SEC schools remaining (Auburn, Mississippi State and Texas A&M).
